Doin' fine, doin fine!

Hey Ya'll! Florida is SWEET and the work is going great =] This week was awesome. Oh, btw, I am attaching some pics. Transfer calls were last Saturday and... we got a phone call. And President Hall said that I am staying! Ha ha he actually told me that "half the members over there called me and said they were going inactive if I took you. So, after praying about it, you are staying one more. But next transfer there is no question, you are gone." So I have one more transfer in awesome SUMTERVILLE!!! Woo hoo! By the way that is something pretty much unheard of in the mission - to have President let someone stay because someone asked. Although, I'm sure that's not the only reason. President Hall is very in tune with the Spirit, and I know that the Lord wants me here one more. I am considering it a tender mercy! I was so thankful and happy to find out I will be here one more. Not only that, but I get to be with Elder Stock for another transfer and he is the man! It's kind of funny... for my first 3 transfers I was with my companion for 1 transfer, and now I will have been with Elder Stock for 3. I have also been called to be the District Leader. It will be a great learning experience for me, but I'm kind of nervous at the same time lol because I have no idea how. The Lord does though, and He will help me. :) Elder McClatchy just got called to be one too down in his District! Anyway, I suppose I can't do too much damage since I will only be it for one transfer and then I'm moving :P It is kind of nice to be expecting the call next time and not have all the anticipation build from 8-11 a.m. the Saturday before transfer week.

Yesterday at church was an incredible day. We were blessed to have 3 investigators at church for the first time (their first time), and one of them brought their 6 year old child. It was really a small miracle - something that Elder Stock and I realized after Church and after they had gone home. T M (her brothers are T and A), some former investigators whose friend S passed away in a car accident, came to church finally! We called and invited her the day before and she said she'd be there. She came, and brought her son too! It was sweet. Her sister R also came, as well as B R, a lady we have been teaching here in Bushnell. T lives in Bushnell, and her Sister lives in Sumterville (where the church is). We had actually tracted into R, got a return appointment, and had invited her to church. She said she would like to come. Well, we didn't make the connection that the same R we had tracted into was the R that was T's sister until they left. How cool is that though lol? The Lord "just happened" to lead us to tract into her and talk about the gospel. And now T and R are coming back to church again next week, and we are going to go and teach them this week! B also had a great day at church and really enjoyed everything.

T wasn't able to make it to church again, and we aren't sure why yet. We have called but she hasn't answered and haven't had the opportunity to go visit her yet. Please keep her in your prayers, as well as all of the other people too. It makes a huge difference!

L and M have been doing awesome - M just got back from Puerto Rico. We are going over there for dinner and then teaching them after tomorrow. They are progressing slowly but surely. We stopped by Saturday night and it was so cool! They were telling us about their non-member friend and how she isn't very happy about them studying the Book of Mormon. Then they both told us how they felt about it along the lines of something like this: "She (their friend) just needs to read it to know that it is from God. It is true, just like the Bible. It doesn't teach anything different than is being taught in the Bible." They both told how they felt about it, and M said that she knows a man, or even a committee of men, couldn't write a book like that and that it had to come from God. Bingo! They are going to be baptized and eventually go to the temple :) We have talked with them several times about setting a baptismal date and praying about it, but they don't want to just yet. We are going to pray hard and talk to them about it again tomorrow and see what happens.

This branch and area has been such a blessing to me. I have really seen myself grow and be stretched here, and I have learned so much! The people here are so good, and constantly are going above and beyond what they are expected to do. Everyone really watches out for each other and they are so generous and willing to help with their time, talents, money, and whatever else they may be able to help with. I am loving serving here, and feel it has been a privilege and honor to serve here for what will have been 6 months by the time I leave.

Being a missionary is the best thing ever. I am telling you! :) Elder Stock talk about how much fun and how blessed we are to be out here every night as we are going home. We always have huge smiles on our faces, even if the day has been super long and hard, because the Lord just blesses us so much! The Gospel is true. That I know. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real, and they are there for us! I am so thankful for that; They help me each and every day. It is such a blessing to be here serving the Lord full-time, and I can't believe how fast time has been going by. The days have been blending together and it seems like each week is just a normal day length ha ha. It's really weird. Thanks for all you guys do, you inspire me to be better and work harder! Your prayers and support are felt. I love you!

love,

Elder Andrew Beckett

Beautiful Temple!
Beautiful Sky!
Beautiful Boys. :)
Beautiful GPS and AJ
Beautiful Weird face...
Beautiful Boy with beautiful German chocolate from Aunt Nadja and Uncle Ben! He LOVES it!!

Temple Trip, Weirdest Lesson Ever, Service, and I found another sticky note :)

Hey family! Hope all is going well in Grantsville and Provo and wherever else you may go. Things are fantastic here! Guess what I found this morning as I opened "Our Heritage" to start reading it? I found another blue sticky note, just like Mom's that I found in "Our Search for Happiness!" This one was from Dad though, lol, and said "I miss you already even though you haven't left yet. I even miss the view of Deseret Peak out the bathroom window and it's still there!" Ha ha Dad I love and miss you. Anyway, thanks Mom and Dad for the sticky notes! They were super fun to find.

This week we got to go to the temple on Wednesday! It was super great. I always love going to the temple! Bro. P from our branch took us there; he is a temple sealer and goes there several times a week. He took us out to lunch after, and we stopped by the LDS bookstore to grab a couple of supplies. On the way to the bookstore there is a pond. There were a few geese in the pond, and some of them (4 actually) were on the sidewalk. I'm guessing 2 males and 2 females. They were between us and the bookstore, and as we were walking up Bro. P was like, "Those are the kind that will chase you... watch out!" Elder Stock and I were kind of thinking he was joking, so we figured we'd just walk real slow past them and we'd be fine. We were like ten feet away, and they starting hissing at us and flapping their wings and getting pretty ticked! Ha ha and then he started running (not waddling), like and all out goose-sprint towards us. So there Elder Stock and I were, running away from some geese in our suits and ties lol while Brother P was laughing from a little further away. It was pretty hilarious. I wanted to challenge the goose and see what it would've done if I just stood my ground and defended myself or something, but Bro. P told us before that we can get in huge trouble if we do anything to the geese. So basically we were wimps and just had to run away ;) It was fun though.

We had a lesson with one of our investigators this week, and it was the weirdest, most awkward lesson of my life ha ha! We had an appointment at her house set up for the evening, but when we got there apparently she hadn't told her dad. He is pretty old, and wasn't feeling well. We asked if we could just talk to her (she's in her upper 20's and has a couple of kids) in the kitchen, but he told us he just wanted us to come back another time. It was cold outside, and we'd met outside before, but she had recently had a new baby and so that wasn't going to work. Well, we really needed to teach her and had driven all the way out to her house just for that lesson, and so we were really trying hard to figure out how we could make it work.

Our investigator had a suggestion..."Hey, maybe we could have the lesson in your car?" Lol. Yep. That's what we ended up doing. We pulled the car right up in front of her door next to her house (the dirt road goes right past the front door), and turned on the heat so her baby would be warm. She sat in the back seat, with her baby next to her, and Elder Stock and I sat in the front seats turned around the whole time. And guess what the lesson was? The Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity. Ha ha it's pretty funny looking back on it now, and it actually turned out to be a good lesson despite the weird circumstances. Anyway, there's a funny story for you :)

We also had a good service project one day, with an investigator named S. She lives alone, and her house is kind of a mess. Her yard is too. I guess her children used to live with her, and then when they left they just left everything in a huge mess. She keeps asking them to come back and help her clean up, and all they ever do is say, "We're working on it." Well, we went and cleaned off her porch and cleaned up her yard a bit and filled up 7 trash bags. When we were done she teared up and was super thankful. I was so glad we did that, because she started talking to us about how sometimes she just feels like nobody cares about her and gets super discouraged with everything. We told her the Lord loves her and that we care about her, and to call us anytime she needs to talk or needs help. It was easy to tell that she was embarrassed of her yard, and when we left she was really proud. It made me feel good to be able to serve someone's grandmother - since I am away from my grandparents and can't love and serve them right now. It is so important to serve our family, and just do small things like checking up on them each week! It makes a huge difference and can make their whole week better.

Last night we had 2 good lessons with Brother D. We also had 3 good lessons with him on Friday. They were all with different investigators. Brother D is the man. He has such a strong, humble testimony, and is so willing to help and serve! He loves coming out with us and calls to check up on our investigators that he has been helping with. He is one of the most positive people I have ever met as well. The work is going good here, and the Lord is really blessing us to see miracles! My time is short and I still want to send a couple pics, so I will hopefully get some sent before I run out of time. Anyway, I love you all so much! Have a great week, say your prayers, read the Book of Mormon daily, and you will be happy =] I love you!

love,

Elder Andrew Beckett

Brother D is an All-Star

Heya! If you are wondering about the subject, well I just figured that I would give props to J D. He should be called as a missionary lol. He came out 4 times with us this week and each was a great experience. I love Brother D and have learned a lot from him since being here about always being positive, listening to the Spirit, and other things.

Update on investigator D: he dropped us. NO! It's always so frustrating to see how fast Satan gets his hands on people after we talk to them. Especially when we know that they have felt the Spirit. People still have their agency though... Anyway, we had been calling him, stopping by, and leaving him messages, but he wouldn't reply to anything. He eventually called us and just told us he wasn't interested anymore. What?!? Not interested in the most important message since the announcement of the birth of the Savior? Hmm. What can you do? Just pray really, and keep trying to be a good friend. He said he'd call us if he ever is interested.

Monday night was good - we tracted into a Mexican family last week, and talked to the son outside for a minute. He was nice and said we could come back Monday night. We did, and none of them except him spoke any english ha ha. We weren't going to let that stop them from feeling the Spirit though! We brought in the movie "Finding Faith in Christ" and F (the son we talked to) called his family in to watch the movie. There were probably about 7-8 people total. We watched it in spanish, and they all sat down and were glued to it! It was way cool. We have a return appointment tonight with Bro. P (who speaks spanish), so we'll see how that goes.

Sister W, a member in the branch we have been working with for a while, has officially reached day 14 of no smoking! And she is really done this time. She is constantly reading the Book of Mormon and other scriptures like crazy; it's great! It is wonderful to see the change that has happened in her life, and how the branch has really reached out to help and fellowship her. The people in this branch really are amazing - they have to really pull a huge load. I think it must be extremely hard being a member in a branch and helping it grow because they have to really do above and beyond what each person has to do in a ward. There are less people to help out with everything.

Brother D asked us to help out with a service project, moving a fridge for some people. The same people as last time. The same one I told you about on the phone. And.. we got kissed on the cheek again. Hmm. Don't people get it? We are untouchable! COME ON! And it was just like WHAM! Didn't see it coming. Ha ha Elder Stock has now joined the club too with me and Elder Creer. In the future, if we ever are asked to go back, I will be constantly coughing or something so that she will keep her distance. Or just explain to her that it's not appropriate for missionaries. She probably was just trying to thank us the best way she knew how.

We met with a member who hasn't been to church for about 40 years (his records weren't here and he was a referral from his mother in the Lecanto ward). He was really nice, but pretty depressed and in pain. The gospel is just what he needs! He has rheumatoid arthritis (I have no idea if that is spelled right, I'm just guessing) and that gives him a lot of trouble. Apparently if you drink apple cider vinegar with "the mother" then that helps a lot. Bro. P in our ward had it, and he started drinking that after every meal (I think he mixes it with water and honey) and he is completely better! I guess it is supposed to be really good for you so we will have to tell him about that. Have you heard anything about drinking apple cider vinegar? Bro P is about 80 years old, but you'd never guess it. He came to pick us up for an exchange once and was looking at our weights and perfect pushups... then got down and did 20 perfect pushups like it was nothing lol. He is awesome.

Yesterday we were so blessed! T and her daughters, and L and M and their friend all came to church! They are such great people and I am confident they will be joining the church soon. T has a baptismal date for the 22nd, and L and M are still praying to find out if the Lord wants them to be baptized. He does. They will, it will just take a little time. Please keep them in your prayers, especially praying that they will receive personal testimonies and recognize when they are feeling the Spirit.

I am learning more each day about recognizing and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He is so vital in our lives, and especially in missionary work. When we follow His promptings, we will be happy. When we don't, we won't. It's pretty simple :) The hard part is just disciplining ourselves to where we can constantly be listening and watching and pondering on what the Lord would have us do throughout the day. And then when our main desire is to just do whatever the Lord would have us do, that's when the blessings really flow!

Florida is beautiful right now... the temperatures have been perfect, and tracting and everything else is super enjoyable because of it. Blue skies are what I like to see! I am suprised at the lack of rain that has come since I've been here. I was thinking it would rain everyday, but I've really only been soaked in it maybe 2 or 3 times. It is kind of fun when that happens though, and you'd be surprised at the difference it makes when people see us out sharing the message in that kind of weather.

I want you to know that I love the Lord, I love you, I love the gospel, and I love the people here! Serving a mission has been and will still be such a blessing to me. I think everyone should serve a mission - you have countless experiences that you really would never get from anything else. It is incredible :)

Have a great week, you are all in my prayers! Happy birthday to Nolan on Thursday (Wow... not a teenager anymore! Ha ha crazy)! Love ya bye :P

-Elder Andrew Beckett

p.s. We are likely going to be able to go to the temple Wednesday morning! Woo hoo!

Wear a smile and your face value will go way up!

Hey guys! This has been a really wonderful week. This past Sunday we had 2 investigators at church - E and T! T brought her 2 daughters (S and Se, who is a week old now). They both had a really good experience from what we could tell. That was T's 3rd week at church now, and so she is looking pretty solid! Sister W and M are doing amazing as well =] I have seen her completely change her life while I have been blessed to be in this area. It is so awesome! The branch is really pulling together and starting to watch out for each other and help out more. Dad, Elder Stock and I used your advice from your letter in testimony meeting (about phrasing certain things ;) - thanks!

By the way, I loved all of your letters! I also got some really nice letters/cards this week from people outside of our family. People are so nice to me. Those spiritual experiences you shared made my day. That was also such a neat story about Taylor! Wow, I am continually amazed more and more at how generous and kind and good people can be. It really makes me marvel when I remember the scripture that says, "If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father in Heaven give good things unto them that ask Him?" That's probably not exactly what it says, but that's how I remember it be - something like that lol. We are truly so blessed.

We had a really neat experience tracting on Tuesday. We knocked on a door and a man opened it up (he was on a cell phone talking) and quickly asked us if we were Jehovah's Witnesses. Typical. We told him no, and explained that we were representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said, "Oh, ok, come on in." Wow!

He told the person on the phone that he would have to call them back in a minute. This man's name is D. We sat down, had a prayer, and started talking to him about Jesus Christ. We asked D about what role He has had in his life. D has been through some pretty rough times, starting out when he was a little kid. He told us he had been on different drugs several times, been to prison, and said that that was just the beginning. He told us how the Savior was always there for him and helped him get through the hardest times. "In prison you have no one else to go to but Him," he said.

As we continued to talk about the Savior, he got a little teary eyed. Elder Stock and I both shared our testimonies of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit filled the room. We paused for a moment, just enjoying the peaceful feeling that was there. After a minute, we taught D about the Holy Ghost and how he can know if he is feeling the Holy Ghost. He said, "Oh, I know what it is, I felt it just now as I have been talking to you. I can feel and see in your faces that you are representatives of the Lord."

We continued to teach him about the message of the Restoration of the gospel, and started teaching him about the Book of Mormon. At this point he got a somewhat disturbed look on his face, stood up, said, "No.. no.. no," and just walked out of the room. We had no idea why he just stood up and left, but he came back in a minute later holding the Bible and told us, "This is the only book there is. My grandma warned me about people like you." We testified of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, explained a little bit more about it, and told him how it could bless his life. We let him know that it was from God, and that he can ask God for himself if this book is true. We asked him, "If you knew that God had revealed more scripture, would it be important to you?" He thought about it for a minute, then still told us that he didn't believe it was true.

At this point, we just invited him to kneel down right then and there and pray to ask God if the Book of Mormon is true. D agreed and knelt down. We knelt as well. He was kind of praying to himself quietly, but Elder Stock and I just stayed there with him praying ourselves that he would receive a strong and sure answer from the Spirit right then. We prayed for a few minutes, and then he got up and sat down on the couch again. We didn't say anything, but waited for him to talk first. After a moment he told us he needed to go outside into the fresh air. We walked outside of his house and waited for five minutes or so while he just stood there breathing and thinking. He walked back onto the porch and we decided to ask him how he felt. He told us that after he prayed about the Book of Mormon, he felt like he was going to pass out. Now that he came outside, he told us he felt an emptiness. That kind of threw us for a loop for a second, but I suppose the Lord works in mysterious ways.

We testified that the peaceful feeling he felt earlier as we were talking about the Savior was the Lord letting him know that we were His representatives, and that the message we had to share was true. We promised him that by learning more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and applying it to his life, he would have that emptiness inside of him filled. He agreed that that would be a good thing, and said that we could come back and bring him a copy of the Book of Mormon to read for himself. We asked when would be a good time for him, but he said he wasn't quite sure with his work schedule and so he gave us his cell phone number to call instead. As we were leaving he gave us each a big hug and thanked us for coming.

We were so happy! As we were walking away we were just asking ourselves, "Wow, did that really just happen?" I have never really had an experience with investigators like that before. Especially when I have been out tracting. It was a huge testimony to me of how vital the Spirit is in this work. We really can't do anything without His guidance, and when we do have Him with us, we are 100% more effective. We will be following up with D to help him progress. We called him later in the week, had a good conversation (he is still interested in learning), and he told us if we ever need haircuts we can come to him for free - even if it's once a week ha ha. How cool is that? We are definitely going to be going to him for haircuts, just so that we can have good contact with him if nothing else =]

Wow, that was one of the longer stories I have shared! Cool. I sure am proud of you guys, and so thankful to be in the family that I am. I am incredibly blessed. I know that the Lord does put us in the circumstances we are for a reason, and it is important that we do all we can to help those around us. I am finding that I really was a pretty selfish person back home (and still am), but I'm doing my best to overcome that and do better! You are all constantly in my prayers. I know that the Lord does hear and answer our prayers! It makes a huge difference in my life when I am having sincere, thoughtful, and heartfelt prayers. I still have a lot to improve, but the Lord is there to help me. I bore my testimony about that on Sunday - just when I reach the point when I feel I am not good enough, or make too many mistakes, or other negative thoughts like that - as I pray to Heavenly Father to help me I just feel one thing: love. His love! He does love us, so much! We are his children and He cares and is there for us, never giving up. We can have our weaknesses become strengths and become better through our trials as we turn to the Lord each day.

Well, my time is up now but I love all of you so much! Have a great week, keep smiling and laughing, and keep the Lord first in your life. That way no matter what happens or comes your way, you will be able to keep going and be happy again!

love,

Elder Andrew Beckett

I know it's been so long but... ;)

Hey family! I know it has been quite a while since we've spoken, but I am thankful to hear from you and write you again! That was so stinkin' awesome to talk to you lol. Wow. I sure love you all a lot! =] I have been smiling ever since then and am still super happy from the phone call! It's amazing how much that pumped me up and inspired and encouraged me to get back to work. I was wondering before I called home if I would be distracted for a few days and homesick, but the Lord has really blessed me and all I've had a desire to do was keep working harder and doing a better job! So thank you for your kind words :) I love you guys.

The rest of Christmas day was wonderful - we were at the B's for a while just talking with them and their family. L and M S were there, who are Bro. B's sister and brother-in-law that we are teaching. They are such wonderful people, and I am confident they will join the church soon. We have been working with them, and our friendship in the meantime has grown a bunch. I really do feel a love for them, and the rest of my investigators as well! With that said, it can always improve of course. When you really start to care for and love your investigators, boldness doesn't become a problem anymore because your sole purpose is to help them progress in the gospel and follow Jesus Christ. We already know what will help them the most, so now it's just a matter of helping them come to know for themselves that these things will make them eternally happy. The gospel is a wonderful thing!

Sunday was a great day; T came to church and brought her 4 year old daughter S. She has been twice now and is loving it. The branch has been so good to her and Sister W, helping give them rides and get coats for their kids and all sorts of things like that. That is exactly what we need; you can't do missionary work without the branch. Sister A W has been coming every week now for probably about 2 months and she is doing awesome! The branch have really become attached to her and her son M. I have truly been blessed to see some wonderful changes in this branch since I have been here.

P-day yesterday was sweet... I GOT THE PACKAGE! Woo hoo! Thank you all so much! I think my favorite part were the letters and the pictures, but I loved it all :) I felt right back at home again with you guys, just like I did when I was on the phone. I have been doing some sweet yo-yo-ing tricks (not in my sleep), listening to music, putting on deoderant, writing in my journal, thinking about eating subway mmm (haven't been there yet ;), shooting hoops, and eating loads of candy and good food (including the better-than-ever poppyseed bread)! I am probably forgetting something, but basically know that everything is being put to good use :P Your letters were full of great advice too and always strengthen my testimony. I am glad to see you are all looking healthy and happy in the pictures too :) Mindy, I might have to take your friend on a date sometime. Guess what else Elder Stock and I got at Wal-Mart yesterday... toy helicopters! They are R/C and actually fly around the room and everything. They are super cool ha ha, and a great P-day or night/lunch/dinner activity. We crash them all the time but they are actually pretty durable. And they are small, so it will be easily transportable.

Well, that's pretty much the update since I talked to all of you lol. Sorry we couldn't email yesterday; the library was closed. I'm actually glad though because now I was able to let you know I received the package, and had more things to write today :P Today should be a really good day, we have a lesson with T and her brothers as well as L and M. I love teaching people; that is one of the most rewarding things about missionary work. Tracting isn't always super fun, but when you find those people who are ready to learn it makes every door you knock worth it.

I just want you all to know that I love and miss you, but I am so happy to be here :) While I was on the phone with you, I received a spiritual confirmation that this is where the Lord wants me to be. I have really been learning a lot about things that matter most, setting goals, feeling the Spirit, being obedient, acknowledging the Lord's Hand, and many other things. There is still so much I have to learn, but one thing I do know - that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true! It is true. The more I learn and read the scriptures I am just amazed at how clear it becomes that this is the true church on the earth today. I am so thankful to know that.

I am letting President Hall know that two of the best missionaries ever will soon be here in the F.O.M. I am super excited to see Elder McClatchy and Sister Allen! It will be a gospel party here in the land of Florida ha ha.

Take care until next week!

-Elder Andrew Beckett

Have a Merry Christmas! I love you! :)

Hey guys! Man I miss and love you all a ton. This week is going to be SO weird not being with all of you. It will still be good though. In fact, I have really felt my testimony grow probably more than any other Christmas in the past. It is also interesting to note that you really don't recognize how much you miss your family until you are away from them and only get to call them twice a year ha ha. I remember Dad always saying to me before the mission, "Andy, cherish the time you have with your brothers and sisters because you're going to miss it like crazy when you are out serving." Yep, Dad, you're right. I love and miss you all! =]

Hey Mom, random note - I have been reading "Our Search For Happiness" this past week, and I found a little sticky note you had hidden in it! Ha ha thanks! After 6 months out I finally found it :P It was a nice surprise that made my day. I have been having a blast reading the scriptures and guessing what Allie's clues meant in the 12 days of Christmas! Tons of fun :) I try to save it for the end of the day (if I can wait) so that I always have something to look forward to when I get home. I am amazed at how generous people are this time of year, especially to the missionaries! People have been giving us tons of food and some very nice gifts. The Blackhursts sent me a neat story I will be sharing with the families we visit this week, so I'm excited for that. I love a good Christmas story. The Ensign was also loaded with some really good ones.

Each day for the past little while I have been reading a chapter in the Book of Mormon as well as a conference talk. I want to promise anyone who does this that you will feel the Spirit a lot more each day as you study the words of the ancient prophets as well as the modern! It has been such a blessing to me, because there is so much to be learned from all of them. It is also very important to sincerely pray and ask for the help of the Holy Ghost before you read so that you can learn most effectively. Try it out and find out for yourself how much better your days will be!

This week we had zero investigators at church. We have been praying SO hard to get them there, following up with them throughout the week, setting up teaching appointments on Saturday so we can leave them feeling the Spirit and wanting strongly to come, getting them rides to church with members, calling them the morning of church (several times when they don't answer)... yet still nobody came :( 3 of our investigators had a reason to not come (I'll mention that in a second), but the other 2 just plain were lazy about it :/ You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get people to come to church! If only they knew how much it would bless their lives. The funny thing is, that we constantly promise blessings and they get all excited about it and say they'll come and then they just don't. Sleeping in is not a good reason for missing church, especially when we have called and called several times throughout the morning to try and wake them up.

Our other investigators who promised to come this week couldn't come because they were with their brother in the hospital. This is a family with a sister 24 years old, and 2 younger brothers who are 19 and 17. The 17 year old was with one of his friends (someone we had taught with them several times a couple weeks previous) Saturday night, and they got in a car accident. The friend named S passed away, and A was taken to the hospital. Thankfully he is ok and at home now, but they were at the hospital with them all night. It is so weird to think that S, who was 19 and we were teaching a couple weeks ago, passed away. That is the second person that I have met while on my mission who has also died while I'm still in the area. There was one in Leesburg (it was a member who was inactive that got in a wreck on a bullet bike), and now S here in Sumterville. It is neat to think though that Elder S and I were the last ones to teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ on this side of the veil, and now he is being taught on the other by some awesome missionaries I'm sure! That will be cool when he accepts the gospel and someday we'll get to meet him and the other missionaries again and see how things are going. We have just been praying for S and his family, as well as A and his family, that they will be able to find the peace, hope, and comfort that they need in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We got a call Saturday morning from a sister in the ward who has been becoming active again; the same one who we helped to quit smoking a few weeks back. She has been doing pretty good by the way, but slipped up a few times. We just keep encouraging and praying for her. Anyway, she is living with her 2 year old son Michael in a rented house. She doesn't have any income except food stamps for M. M's dad's sister owns the house. This sister hasn't paid rent for a while because she has no income. She hasn't been kicked out because M's dad hasn't paid child support for a long time because he doesn't have a job. Anyway, that's not even all of the details, but you probably get the idea that it is a pretty bad situation. Well, she called us Saturday morning and asked if there was any way that we could get her some food. She was extremely hesitant, but we knew that if she was calling then that meant things were pretty bad. We told her not to worry, she'd have some food before the day was over.

To make a long story short, President F told us to get her some food and he'd reimburse us, and take it to her to hold her over for the weekend. We got her some basics and when we got there to drop it off, all of her cupboards were empty and the only food she had was a couple of grapefruits and some frozen vegetables. She kept saying how sorry she was for asking for our help, and thanked us again and again. I don't doubt that she has starved herself to keep feeding 2 year old M. She told us that usually her food stamps for M come by the 5th of the month, but they still hadn't come yet (it was the 18th). This coming Tuesday President F and the Relief Society President (well one of them anyway) is going to pick up a food order from the Bishop's Storehouse.

This really opened up my eyes to just how blessed I am; how blessed we all are. So many of the silly little things we constantly worry about don't even matter. We can either focus on the many things we don't have and be miserable and jealous, or focus on the many many blessings that we do have and find happiness and generosity in our lives. What a blessing it is to have the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives! It deals with things of eternal significance, and comes free to anyone who wants it. No matter how much pain or suffering we may have in this life, we can have eternal joy and happiness with our families, God, and Jesus Christ for eternity! Christmas time is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on that. I feel so blessed to have that in my life. I am so thankful for a living prophet to guide and direct us back to our Father. The way to happiness has been given to all of us, now all we need to do is follow it! It is simple. Not easy, but simple.

I can't wait to talk to you on the phone this Saturday! It will be a weird and a wonderful experience lol. I will call probably somewhere between 11 and 12 your time (in the morning) - which means it will be somewhere around 1 to 2 p.m. here. Hope that's not confusing ;) The gospel is true! I know it, and that's all that really matters. Now I just need to share and live it more fully. Woo hoo! What an awesome opportunity this life is. I love you all so much! Thanks for your testimonies and support and prayers. You. Are. The. BEST!

ttyl (Saturday ha ha :D)

love,

Elder Andrew John Beckett!

HaPpY WiNtEr!

Hello family! I love you all. This has been a really good week and the Lord has blessed us tons! We were able to set 5 baptismal dates, teach tons of lessons, and have 2 investigators at church. You wouldn't believe the effort it took to get them there. But they were there! Woo hoo. We also found some really cool people to teach. I think I am finally getting the hang of things and starting to find the balance between finding and teaching. I am loving it here. Oh, and other good news - we passed our apartment inspection :D They aren't quite like the Wyview ones, but they still get after you about some things if they aren't pretty clean.

I love the people to death, they are really awesome members. They are helping the branch grow a lot too. I am learning to love people of all different sorts =] I have met some of the coolest/funniest/down-to-earth members I have ever known. Brother B. is a prime example. He and Sister B. are hilarious. They are always teasing each other and laughing and smiling and they are country folk and proud of it. I love the Brays. Their kids are awesome too.

I'll tell you quickly a funny story that happened - Tuesday night we decided to stop by a former investigator's house to deliver an invitation to the Branch Christmas Party. I knocked on the door (it was night and cold so we were wearing our jackets), and their dog inside the trailer started barking like crazy. I figured they heard me knock, and definitely heard the dog, and so we just stood there waiting for someone to open the door. Finally the man came to the door, and he had his shirt off. He was looking down and it was like it happens in the movies or something - he looked up and saw my feet then kept looking up at me and just screamed. I guess I've lost the missionary glow.. ha ha jk. I said, "Hey! Don't worry, it's just me - Elder Beckett!" and he calmed down." Then he acted like it never happened after that, so luckily no bad effects from the experience lol. It was pretty funny and unexpected though that he just opened the door and screamed.

I've been learning the importance of hard work, coupled with enduring to the end. Several times this week we will go out tracting and knock door after door with nothing coming of it. Just at the point when it's time to go home and you are worn out and think it's been useless - the very last house you knock on turns out to be a new investigator. It's funny how the Lord works :) I think a lot of times we need to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and endure and then it's right at the end that He blesses us.

Can I just say that I LOVE MISSIONARY WORK? Yes I can! There is nothing more challenging, satisfying, rewarding, or just plain awesome that I have experienced yet in life. Each day is full of incredible experiences. If anyone around you is debating/wondering if they should serve a mission or not, just do it. You will never regret it. I can't believe how fast time goes by out here either :s Each night as I lay down to go to sleep I feel like I just barely did this ten seconds ago. The days go by way too quickly, so I am giving it my all to make every second worth it. Thank you for you loving prayers and support, because I really couldn't do it without them. I feel the strength and blessings from Heavenly Father to me in your behalf.

I know that the Church is true! How important it is to find out for ourselves the message of the Restoration of the Gospel. And then simply share it! I will help the missionaries out WAY more when I'm back than I did before my mission. That is an awesome way to prepare for your mission - go out with the missionaries a lot. Like once a week if possible. Even if it's just tracting, that's one of the most helpful things you can do. Well, time's up, but keep being awesome everyone! I don't know why I have been so blessed with the great family and friends that I have, but I'm sure not complaining :) I really feel like I couldn't be more blessed. Have a great week!

love,

Elder Andrew Beckett